A Princess's favourite feature of a certain Sky-Pirate
by The-Seeress-Yeul
Summary: !Post-XII! Ashe had finally received a little time off to herself. She makes her way to the local pub in Rabanastre where unwanted thoughts about a certain Sky-Pirate make their way into her mind. Rated T because Ashe's liking for a certain body part(s) of Balthier's. Marked as Romance because themes present in the story.


This is also another one for my best friend Alice, who also gave me this wonderful prompt to work with!

* * *

It was a late night in Rabanastre and Ashe was taking some time off from being a Queen and went into the local pub, The Sandsea.

It wasn't somewhere she went often. She had only been there a few times to accept the occasional hunts that Vaan had wanted to do to prove himself a worthy skypirate, and only one other time to get something for Basch before he went back to Archades with Lord Larsa.

Tonight, though, was different, and you could tell by the way she carried herself. Standing a little taller than was normal for her and when she walked into the pub, the pub-goers simmered down as Ashe requested a table at the top of the stairs.

When she made her way up there, it was empty and she took a seat at one of the two empty tables while the bartender handed her her glass of wine. She asked Ashe if she wanted anything else and with Ashe's response of 'No', she left.

Ashe sighed and picked up the glass and began to take tiny sips of the red liquid.

Someone had been plaguing her thoughts recently. Someone whom she thought dead until recent word was passed onto her from Penelo.

She began to think of all those days in the past when they had traveled together before the war had ended. She hadn't known after the events of the Bahamut if he had lived and after eight months of waiting, word reached her young friends, Vaan and Penelo, that he and his partner were indeed alive.

It had set her heart at ease, if only momentarily before questions began to arise in her about why he had not specifically contacted her first.

She let out a sigh again as her mind drifted back to when the two of them had often times gone to hunt for food and water while the others set up camp.

She remembered most distinctly how often she had watched his backside and his legs as they ran to and fro to get the things they needed.

Such things were new to her and she turned red and immediately felt guilty.

Those legs… they were so enticing… as well as hips and his shoulders… Everything about him pulled her in.

And who should walk in at the moment into the Sandsea and was given a seat at the table Ashe was sitting at?

None other than Balthier himself.

The two hadn't seen each other since the fall of Bahamut and Ashe had spent most of her time grieving over the loss of Fran and Balthier, two of her good friends, during the war.

He made his way up the stairs and as soon as he saw Ashe, a look of surprise immediately set upon his face but he shook it off just as quickly as it had came and a smile was on his lips instead.

"Hello, Princess. I'm sorry I couldn't see you sooner. Business and all that."

He took a seat in front of her as Ashe said, "Oh… I understand. Not getting into trouble, were you?"

A part of her wanted to ask him what took him so long to even show up, but then again this was one of her rare visits to the pub, so it probably wasn't even right to ask him.

"Of course not. I thought you knew me better than that, Princess."

He ordered a Madhu, a very, very toxic drink that Ashe didn't not approve of.

"Oh. I see. Are you planning on _going_ somewhere tonight?"

He scoffed at her question and dodged her question, instead asking his own. "When I came up here, you were quite red. Pray-tell, what were you thinking about to warrant such colours on your cheek?"

Ashe was taken aback and stammered with her answer of "It's none of your concern!"

Balthier laughed and whispered, "Oh, but I know what it was about, Princess. Your response told me all. It was about me now, wasn't it?"

Ashe puffed her cheeks and took another sip of her wine.

"Perhaps, it was, but you shall not know more than that."

He shrugged and stood up.

"I'm afraid I have to go now, Princess or should I call you Queen? Fran is waiting for me in one of the Inns. I would hate to keep her waiting. I shall see you again?"

She nodded and watched as he left, drinking his Madhu as he went.

Her eyes drifted to his legs before she turned bright red again and damned the Gods that had brought that man into her life, but she also secretly thanked them for it.

**END**


End file.
